An innovative way to save money and the Earth is now available to energy users in the Cayman Islands. A system has been developed which allows you to monitor your carbon footprint and counteract increasing operating costs for your home. This innovative wireless system  monitors your electricity, water and irrigation uses by connecting to a database where the information is processed and stored. It monitors measurements ranging from soil moisture, so you know when to irrigate a property, to the electrical consumption and the water usage, so you can budget effectively.

Brian Roffey, Engineer of CostWatch, the company behind the monitoring service said, “For homeowners wanting to reduce electricity consumption programmable thermostats, roof insulation and high efficiency air conditioning are all worth the initial expense. They will pay for themselves in less than 2 years and will only add value to your home. Careful electricity budgeting has been shown to reduce consumption by 15% or more. We do that for you.”

The CostWatch system will detect when something is out of the ordinary with your water usage and then will send you an email within minutes of the event happening. When water bills run in a large excess of what a homeowner would normally pay, usually there is a leak to be sourced and fixed.

Mr. Roffey added that his monitoring service will notify the homeowner within five minutes of a water leak and also inform the requested plumber to “go and fix it.” It doesn’t take a ‘rocket scientist’ to work out that monitoring your water system can reduce your overall costs. This is also applicable to properties with an automated irrigation system that turns off an on on a daily basis. CostWatch can show the property manager when to irrigate based on the soil moisture, allowing the manager to keep costs down while maintaining a healthy landscape.

Monitoring your electricity can show you how to use your electricity efficiently and manage the cost.

CostWatch told iNews they have already installed their monitoring system in many locations on Grand Cayman including  St. Matthew’s University Residence Suites, Citrus Grove and Southampton Gardens Condominiums.

St Matthew’s University representative, Brenda Brown, told us, “It has been working very well and I think the change is a positive one. It allows students to take responsibility for their own energy usage and keep their bills low. We are thinking about putting more of the meters in place.”

For more information on the system contact Brian Roffey on 916-0413 or email [email protected]  Their website is at www.tgtryrthkeo.ky